4GHblogs.com

Sports betting futures plays are often dismissed by more serious handicappers as poor values by definition. They’re most frequently associated with rank amateurs looking for a big payoff with little risk. For example, a player might be entranced with a +10000 payoff should St. George, Utah be awarded the 2020 Summer Olympic games. While that would definitely be a nice payday, the problem is that the “true odds” of St. George, Utah hosting the Olympics is well in excess of a million to one. That means that even the huge ‘plus number’ offered represents an underlay situation and a poor wagering value.

For the more serious bettor, there’s a number of obvious problems with futures wagers. They require that your wagering ‘capital’ be tied up for months. Furthermore, once you’ve placed your bet you’re at the mercy of injuries, suspensions, trades and the other numerous factors that can spell defeat for a sports team. It’s no simple task keeping up with these variables on a day to day basis, and predicting them over a longer term is the province of psychics and not sports handicappers.

So why bet futures at all? More so than anything else, its essential to think of sports wagering not in terms of who wins or loses, but in terms of value. Properly utilized, future book wagers are often a great source of value. Below are some of the ways I like to use future wagers:

Futures can be a good way to leverage value on propositions where your knowledge is greater than the bookmaker’s. For example, many sports books offer betting propositions on entertainment oriented events like the Academy Awards. A handicapper who pays close attention to the movie industry and Hollywood news can stay one step ahead of the linesmaker.

With many books taking bets on awards like ‘Best Picture’ before nominations are even announced, a bettor has a great opportunity to find overlay situations. By staying on top of the entertainment news and accurately predicting which films will be nominated, its often possible to get substantially better prices than will be available after their announcement.

The nature of the film industry makes using a future wager in this manner very attractive. The release schedule of films is established in advance and is publicly known. The cut off date for award consideration is the end of the calendar year, so nothing can pop up and become a surprise after that. Of the hundreds of films that are released each year only a handful are legit Oscar contenders and with some work its easy to narrow those down further. After that its just a matter of finding the value.

Futures wagers are also effective for finding value in a sports betting paradigm. By its very nature, sports presents more variables to deal with than does the movie industry. The top teams are well known by both the linesmakers and general public, and seldom can be found at a value price. For example, you can already bet that the New England Patriots will win the 2010 Superbowl but you can be sure that you’re not going to get a good value price on such a well known ‘public’ team.

To use future bets effectively in this manner, you need to dig a little deeper. For example, before the NHL All Star break you could have bet on the Carolina Hurricanes to win the 2009 Stanley Cup at prices as high as 25/1 or 30/1. Now, they’re in the Eastern Conference Finals and priced as low as 5/1.

This play wasnt based on any sort of certainty that this team would win the Stanley Cup, but rather on the value they presented. In other words, the true odds of this dark horse Cup win is more in the range of the current price so the 40/1 is a clear overlay. Once the playoffs begin, this sort of positional play offers a lot of options to hedge and to lock in a profit.

Dont forget the field. Many bettors dismiss plays on the field in a futures wager out of hand, thinking that the wager represents all of the entrants not good enough to justify an individual price. If you pay attention, however, you can frequently use a field wager to your advantage. Shortly after Dale Earnhardts tragic death at the 2001 Daytona 500 I found a sportsbook that was offering a field wager on the NASCAR rookie of the year award at 15/1. Richard Childress Racing hadnt officially announced Harvick as the fulltime replacement for Earnhardt, but the word on the streets strongly suggested that would be the case. I knew that Harvick was a talented young driver (he was the 2000 Busch Series rookie of the year), but the unique situation with a rookie driving for one of the best financed and most experienced teams in the sport was too good to pass up. I made the bet on Harvick at just the right time, since after he was announced as the replacement for Earnhardt the line dropped to 5/1. After he won his first race (in his third race) the line dropped to 2/1 and by mid season the field was a -250 chalk.

Clearly the Harvick play was a ‘best case scenario’ but there are other instances where value can be had on ‘the field’. While sportsbooks have learned a lot about NASCAR in recent years, up until a few years ago it was frequently possible to find a ‘field’ bet on road course races that included the ’specialists’ that teams frequently hire for these events. In other words, it was possible to bet a group of road course ‘ringers’ such as Ron Fellows, Scott Pruett and Robbie Gordon with one wager. Again, you have to keep your eyes open and be ready to act quickly to take advantage of these rare opportunities.

Of course its crucial to shop around for any futures book play to find the best price. It’s a smart thing to do on any wagering proposition, but the price differential on futures wagers often vary widely from book to book. A little bit of work can produce a significantly better price which means more value.

The lower back is an excellent location for a tattoo. The area provides a fairly large canvass for the tattoo artist but is easily covered by your clothing when displaying a tattoo might be inappropriate. You can chose from a large number of beautiful designs. The only drawback is that you won’t easily be able to admire your tattoo without a mirror.

Low cut jeans and bikinis make these tattoos especially popular with the ladies. While easily concealed on formal occasions or at the office, lower back tattoos are also easily displayed in less formal settings. Pictograms and floral designs are popular for these tattoos. Few men chose lower back tattoos, choosing to place their tattoos on the upper back. Women wear clothing that may show an upper back tattoo when they would prefer it not be visible which makes the lower back their ideal location.

So, what are the different types of lower back tattoo designs?

Designs for lower back tattoos tend toward the feminine with flowers, vines and Celtic knotwork being among the most popular. Most women are not drawn to tribal art because the heavy dark lines appeal more to men. Whether your preference is for a smaller center tattoo or for a tattoo that stretches from hip to hip, it’s easy to find a design.

Among the animal images, dolphins are very popular. Lower back tattoos are often chosen by women who have an affinity for the beach because dolphins are a symbol of the sea. Butterfly designs are another top pick whether for a smaller center tattoo or a large design.

More adventurous people on the other hand, go for dragon designs to show their daring and courageous nature. Hearts, roses and fairies with wings are also in style options for tattoos usually placed in the lower back.

In addition to being easily displayed or covered, the lower back is often chosen as the location for a tattoo by women because of its sex appeal. Men often find a woman’s hips or buttocks to be sexually attractive, and a lower back tattoo calls attention to those areas. Men who have tattoos on the lower back generally extend them well above the waist, while women keep them below the waist.

Wherever you get a tattoo, make sure you like the design. It will be with you for a long time. Don’t chose a design that’s too trendy, it will be out of fashion next year and you’ll still have the same tattoo. It’s unwise to use husband’s or boyfriends names in your tattoo.

Because the tattoo process involves penetrating the skin, there is the possibility of infection. It’s important to follow your tattoo artists directions for keeping your art clean and dressed for several days after you receive your tattoo. The location of the tattoo may make it necessary for you to enlist help since you won’t be able to easily reach it yourself.

Deciding on the right design can be difficult. Visit Internet tattoo websites and local tattoo artists and take you time in making your decision. After all you have a lifetime to live with your tattoo, make sure your tattoo is something you can love now and forever.

In a time of economic uncertainty, when managers are being asked to do more with less, and when cost cutting has become the norm, the ability for IVR (Interactive Voice Response) to assist in accomplishing these objectives has never been more obvious.

Managers are being forced to make difficult choices between high-touch experience delivered by a live agent and low-cost automation delivered by IVR. It is well known that to process a call using a human agent can cost 5-10 times what it costs to answer a similar call using IVR. In the past, managers have chosen to deliver an enhanced customer experience over a much lower-cost automated option. So when it comes time to slash costs, IVR can play a key role. On the other hand its very important not to upset the balance between automation and customer experience. The answer is not to shift every human interaction to an automated interaction, or to use IVR to make it more difficult for customers to speak to a higher-cost live agent.

I would suggest that you start by taking inventory of all your customer interactions. Not only the obvious ones. Your inventory will allow you to prioritize by value contribution, revenue contribution, and cost of each interaction, and pinpoint where IVR can assist you to cut cost, and not significantly upset the balance.

Recently, I received a call from the director of marketing at a company in the health care sector, needing to cut costs by finding an alternative to live agents handling their Diabetes testing kit sampling program. As a sampling program, there was no linked revenue to the call, and the value to the caller was mostly in receiving delivery of the kit on time, which was advertised to over 2.5 million people. Although this was a highly successful program, based on response, fell under the cuts to the marketing budget. The company recognized that the calls could be handled using IVR, however as an untested alternative they wanted to run a short term pilot to measure the impact to the success of the program.

To minimize the risk the company opted for an outsourced IVR approach, which provided financial flexibility by not having to make a long term commitment. In addition, with reduction in the IT budget, outsourcing the implementation and hosting was a perfect match, allowing the company to control costs, and provide commitment flexibility.

Perhaps when the economy recovers, this company and many others alike will move back the high touch approach of live agents, however as hard economic times call for tough measures, IVR is playing a key role and helping managers accomplish their objectives.

A colon cleansing may be the best thing you can do for yourself because of its many health benefits. Talk with your doctor to get positive facts about internal colon cleansing.

Toxic waste trapped inside your colon will cause a host of health problems so it’s best to rid it as soon as possible. Colon cleansing is a good way to release these toxins and enjoy a disease free lifestyle.

Waste can be proteins that have putrefied, carbohydrates fermented and fats that have turned rancid. As disgusting as this sounds, it is even more harmful to the body than we can imagine.

Your intestines are exposed to these harmful toxins and put you at a greater risk of developing a host of diseases. In fact, if you are experiencing some health problems today, it may be directly linked to a toxic colon.

If you experience fatigue on a daily basis or you have difficulties concentrating, you could have very well have toxins trapped in your colon. The lack of energy makes even the simplest chores hard to do.

Lack of exercise and activity will certainly increase your chances of colon cancer along with the build up of toxins in your system. A colon cleanse will not only reduce the fatigue but will increase your energy level at an incredible speed.

Studies show that with a simple regime of colon cleansing, exercising and activities are increased. Many have even reported joining a fitness center, something they would have never thought of doing.

Colon cleansing also benefits those who may suffer from acne problems. Reports are positive with fine lines, wrinkles and age marks actually disappearing! Healthier looking skin is only a colon cleanse away.

Thousands have also reported in that a colon cleanse has rid abdominal discomfort, diarrhea and constipation. And many claim substantial weight loss.

Start a colon cleanse regime right away by taking a natural, herbal detox supplement daily just like a vitamin. With all the benefits of colon cleansing why not start today?

Investing in the security and protection of your home or business is a move that makes good financial sense, especially with today’s modern burglar alarm systems.

Unlike older burglar alarm systems which could be difficult to use and time-consuming and expensive to install, a modern system offers improved ease of use and simple installation procedures that can have your investments protected in a short period of time. Modern burglar alarm systems are also highly sensitive, avoiding the “false alarms” that were common with some older burglar alarm systems.

Burglar alarm systems employ highly sensitive sensors that protect every entryway to your home, store or office building. When these systems are “tripped,” or activated by unauthorized entry, they send off signals to a central alarm agency which can notify local law enforcement agencies and office security personnel to respond to your specific location. In addition, some companies that manufacture burglar alarm systems have their own security details that can be deployed to determine whether or not a break-in has occurred.

Burglar alarm systems offer notable advantages over on-site security personnel and guards, especially with regard to overall expense and reliability. Today’s burglar alarm systems are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no vacations or sick days. Using high-level battery backup components, burglar alarm systems can remain active even during power failures, or when power and telephone lines are severed. You, your family and your employees can learn how to use burglar alarm systems in less than an hour: in most cases, all that’s required for operation is memorization of a simple numerical pass code that “tells” the system you’re not an intruder.

Even if your home or business is in a “safe” neighborhood, burglar alarm systems make economic sense: in most cases, burglars and other intruders do not live in the same neighborhoods where they operate. Moreover, intruders know “safe” neighborhoods often enjoy a heightened sense of security, meaning homes and businesses in these areas are often not protected with burglar alarm systems. As a result, these otherwise “Safe” neighborhoods are often targeted by these individuals. And signage supplied with your system can also help deter criminals who may be alerted to the system’s presence. Don’t rely on a sign, though: flea markets and other vendors may sell signs as a ruse to trick criminals; however, many criminals will check to see if telltale signs of a system exist, even in the presence of a sign.

The cost of installing burglar alarm systems is relatively minimal, especially considering the protection these systems afford and the peace of mind you’ll enjoy once you know your home or business is fully protected by a modern, state-of-the-art system. Many installation experts offer free or discounted installation services when you subscribe to their company’s monthly alarm system monitoring service. In many instances, business and homeowner insurance policies may offer discounts or reduced premiums when complete, modern burglar alarm systems are professionally installed.

Considering the overall asset protection and peace of mind afforded by today’s burglar alarm systems, the installation of a modern comprehensive theft deterrent system will pay for itself many times over.

It is not unusual to hear about people who snore. Almost all of us snore occasionally, while there are also those who snore frequently. Even babies and our pets snore once in their lives. While snoring can be a natural thing, it can have serious effects on our health. At the very least, snoring can affect the amount and quality of sleep that we have. Snoring tends to give us a poor kind of sleep which can result to daytime fatigue, increased health problems, and irritability. These are only some of the reasons why people are trying to find effective snoring cures.

In searching for the best snoring cures, it helps to know the different causes of snoring and if there are any risk factors involved. Oftentimes, people who snore have too much floppy tissues that tend to vibrate. These floppy tissues can either be found in the throat or the nasal area. The tongue can also hamper smooth breathing during sleep.

While it is possible for anyone to snore, males are more prone to snoring than females. This is primarily due to the narrower air passages that men have. Heredity is another major cause of snoring. A cleft palate, enlarged adenoids, a narrow threat, and other hereditary physical attributes can contribute a lot to snoring.

Snoring can have a lot of causes and it can also have a lot of cures. The most typical ways to stop snoring are through natural snoring cures. These include clearing your nasal passages, elevating your head while you sleep, limiting your alcohol and medications intake, losing weight, and sleeping on your side. There are also alternative remedies for snoring, like singing and playing the didgeridoo. Medical cures and treatments for snoring include continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP, dental appliances, oral devices, lower jaw positioners, and surgery.

There are lots of ways to stop snoring now. You simply need to be aware of what these are and how you can have access to them. You can learn more about the different snoring cures online or through your doctor. There are also lots of support groups that can help you with stop your snoring spells. It is important that you get down to the root of your snoring problem as this can be an indication of more serious health conditions. Learn how to stop snoring today and say hello to better sleep for better health.

In a perfect world every part of your company would work faultlessly. You’d sell more product, schedule more services, make more money. Sounds fantastic doesn’t it? The truth is that in real life, nothing ever works perfectly. If you aren’t selling products, or services you aren’t making any money. If your service is poor and you get a bad reputation, you’re not making money. If your product is breaking all of the time and word gets out, you’re not making money. This sounds more like your real life doesn’t it? The truth is there are so many negative things that can affect your business that it’s amazing any company can make a profit in this day and age.

Does Microsoft spend hundreds of millions of dollars on TV commercials just for fun? Does Apple spend hundreds of millions of dollars on TV commercials just to slam Windows for being insecure? They do these commercials because they have found them to be profitable to advertising on TV. They do it because they developed marketing systems that work, and they stick to them. Why develop a marketing plan for just TV commercials? Well because it works! In fact they probably have a system for how their websites get updated, how they answer the phone, how particular problems with software or hardware are handled. In fact, I guarantee you that they have systematized absolutely every aspect of their companies.

It’s amazing how many businesses I speak to each week do not have any type of marketing system in place. A lot of people think systematizing a business is only for large corporations, it is definitely not. Having a system in place for every aspect of your business is essential to whether a business will be successful, or wilt and die out in the future.

Not only does systematizing a business make sure that every single task of your business is handled quickly and properly, it documents those tasks so if your accountant decides to leave for new opportunities, a new accountant could be hired, handed the systems and get to work right away. All the new employees you hire will need to do is read the systems, apply the systems, and if they can follow directions well they will be ready to go! How much overhead time would this save your business in the long run. Think about it for a few minutes, training a new employee how to do every task of your business and answering countless numbers of questions that eat up your precious time versus handing the new employee a binder or cd full of all your businesses systems that they can read and apply almost immediately. Depending on the amount of responsibility each employee gets at your company this could amount to weeks of information that just got handed down through a binder containing all of the needed info! This means that none of your imperative employees need to spend countless hours training and hand holding a new employee. At my company I projected that it saves me roughly 200 employee hours, that is five weeks of time that I was losing before I systemized my business.

So the question is, why haven’t you created a marketing plan or marketing system for your company? The marketing legends of the world have already done all of the work for you! Just Google search “marketing system” or “marketing plan” and you will get hundreds of results in all types of flavors that will suit your business! The initial investment will be low too. Most good ones start around $2000 and can go as high as $25,000. You could make up the $2000 spent extremely fast. If you hire a someone and pay them $30.00 an hour, which would mean it would take you just about 67 hours to earn back the money. If you normally spend weeks and weeks training them to perform at their job, you earn your money back on your very first hire! That is not even including your dear time!

So what are you waiting for? Get your business or company a marketing system. Get your business systematized. Set up marketing plans so your company will succeed. Don’t just sit and wait for your competition to go out of business, be the more successful company and do it for them!

An early goal gave the United States soccer team hope, but in the end the result of their World Cup Qualifier against Mexico at Azteca Stadium was a familiar loss. Mexico rallied for a 2-1 triumph in front of their home fans, sending the US to defeat for the 23rd time in 24 games at the venue. The US soccer record at the 105,000 seat venue is 0-23-1 with the best result the US has been able to muster on Mexican soil was a 0-0 draw in 1997.

The United States quickly silenced the raucous crowd of 100,000+ with a goal by Charlie Davies just eight minutes into the game. It was the first time in history that the US soccer team led a match at Azteca Stadium.

Mexico would pull even just ten minutes later when Israel Castro beat US goaltender Tim Howard with a blistering shot off the crossbar. That set the stage for Miguel Sabah’s goal in the 82nd minute which gave Mexico the 2-1 victory. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre sounded both elated and relived with his post match comments:

“Today is a day to celebrate, drink a few tequilas, and then get back to work. Everybody will go to bed tonight a bit more relaxed.”

US Coach Bob Bradley was philosophical about the loss:

“I think it’s a tight game and a fair score. It’s tough loss to have so many guys work so hard and then give up a late goal. The feeling inside is one of great disappointment.”

US forward Landon Donovan spoke of his teams performance:

“We did a good job starting the game well and scoring. They made one play at the end that made the difference. It’s hard to play here, man. It wears you out. It’s just exhausting.”

The Americans finish up qualifying on Oct 10 at Honduras and at home against Costa Rica on Oct. 14. Mexico will play at Costa Rica on Sept. 5 and host Honduras on Sept. 9. Mexico will wrap up qualifying on Oct. 10 at home with El Salvador and at Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 14.

Infomercials abound on television, especially in the small hours of the night, where various presenters rave about how they have created alternative incomes and wished that they had done so earlier in their lives. They normally illustrate their points with photographs of fast cars, mansions and super boats. Up until now, we may not have paid too much attention to these but the recent recession has taught us that we need to ensure our future and not get caught out again.

Many of us often dream about having multiple streams of income, of being able to turn to alternative incomes should something go wrong with our primary situation. For many, these will remain dreams but for those who are really forward thinking, they should take steps to ensure that they have their own backup systems in place.

Opportunity abounds on the Internet, for those who have a creative mind. The World Wide Web has certainly developed over the last five years or so and people now turn to it right away if they want to buy a product or service. As such, the options for creating alternative incomes abound here.

There is a buyer and seller for everything, so the old saying goes. Think of your talents and abilities and work out what you could sell as a product or service. This will be the start of creating alternative incomes through the Internet. Planning is everything and research should be conducted to see if people would be actually interested in buying this idea, in the first place. Once you have determined this, then you need to work out how you are going to attract them to consider your options.

Many Internet millionaires started off with an idea about how they were going to create alternative incomes online. Invariably, they have something of value to sell as a product or service and after due research were able to create websites and systems to funnel clients into this sales procedure. This takes a certain amount of knowledge about how the Internet works, but the good news is there are a lot of online resources to help those who wish to learn.

Think of something that you are good at, a hobby of some kind. Why not turn this into one of your alternative incomes? Some experts would argue that this is not necessarily a good idea as it could in the long run turn you away from your hobby, but on the other hand your passion for the subject should provide you with fuel to make it all work.

Many newcomers turn to affiliate marketing when they are looking for alternative incomes. Often this is one of the least difficult areas to get into. Basically, you will be selling other companies products or services through your own marketing initiatives ” a website, a mailing list ” and receiving a commission for doing so.

The Internet is a great source of information to help you learn about all the home business, work from home, affiliate marketing, moneymaking or Internet marketing concepts available to you. Resources include great membership sites, where you can interact with others and learn all you need to know about the ins and outs of these opportunities, allowing you to turn a dream into reality.

While most businesses have grown used to traditional ways of promoting their products, services, events, and other interests, there is quite a number of companies and organizations that have started to tap the power of the internet in making their presence known to the rest of the world. These days, it is not unusual for IT professionals and website owners to seek help from SEO agencies.

If you want internet users to find you each time they use search engines, social media, and other relevant online locator services, then it is best that you seek help from an SEO agency. An SEO agency can give you pieces of advice and recommend ways on how you can increase the visibility of your website.

Of all the different ways of locating a website in the internet, search engines remain as the major tools that online users take advantage of. Through search engine marketing campaigns, website owners are able to meet online users at a certain point in the internet ? the first pages of major search engines. This sounds easy but with all the competition available, the whole task of being in the first page of major search engines becomes a very challenging job ? and this is where SEO agencies attempt to bridge the gap.

If you try to make an online search for SEO agencies and consultants, you might be surprised with the impressive results. While there are lots of SEO companies and firms available, most of them are merely selling their services. This means that they cannot provide their clients the necessary consultation so that the latter can better understand the full scope of an SEO campaign. Therefore, it is still an advantage to hire a full service SEO agency versus one that simply offers an element or certain elements of search engine optimization.

When you are looking to hire an SEO agency, there are certain factors that you must consider. Full service SEO agencies typically ask relevant questions about your business, products, and services so they can better understand where you have been, where you are now, and where you would want to be. A competitive and reliable full service SEO firm will also listen attentively to what you need to say so it can better understand your needs ? including your budget limitations. And most important of all, a good SEO company will tell you the things that you need to know, and not just those that you want to hear.